The past week has seen three big appearances from Lib Dems. You used to go weeks without anyone so it’s great to see that we have a bigger profile and that there are multiple opportunities for us to differentiate ourselves from everyone else.
Last Thursday, Lisa Smart, our Home Affairs spokesperson, made her Question Time debut and did very well taking questions on Rachel Reeves cv “of course it’s daft to embellish a cv but performance matters” also pointing out that Labour inherited a “steaming pile” from the Conservatives, immigration and Ukraine. Here she is on Trump:
“The way Trump and Putin behave is like playground bullies… you don’t just give a bully what they want”
The Lib Dems’ Lisa Smart says peace must only be negotiated “on Ukraine’s terms” and it is important for Europe, including the UK, to stand up against Russia#bbcqt pic.twitter.com/UlaoYzgoro
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) February 13, 2025
On Friday, Christine Jardine was on Any Questions. Talking about Rachel Reeves, she said that the one thing she wished she could embellish was her record as Chancellor which got a round of applause from the audience. On Trump, she pointed out the irony that he was saying that European defence was down to Europe, but then rode roughshod over Europe as regards Ukraine.
Listen here.
Finally, Ed was on Peston last week. Here he is talking about Trump:
“I think Reform would lick the boots of President Trump”
Liberal Democrats leader @EdwardJDavey says other political parties, including Labour, are not tough enough on the US President when it comes to Ukraine#Peston pic.twitter.com/IZe8tDqj1B
— Peston (@itvpeston) February 12, 2025
* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary in print, on air or online.
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
The Joy of Six 1339
Kemi Badenoch vs the Conservative Party: how the polling compares - The Week in Polls
F10 is passed overwhelmingly. Now the work begins...
Blackness Road - 1967 #dundeewestend
Torchwood is now a Cardiff Bay institution
Zachary Adam Barker
tom arms
Neil Hickman
Joe Bourke
9 Comments
There is still the problem of the BBC’s Politics Live, which hardly ever features a Liberal Democrat and often loves to have half of its panel consisting of Conservatives by having both a Conservative MP and a former Conservative advisor on the same panel.
Since 6 January Politics Live has had 24 Conservative MPs, 24 Labour MPs, one former Labour MSP, 3 Liberal Democrat MPs, 3 people associated with Reform, the Plaid Cymru leader, 15 people broadly from the left, 8 broadly from the right and 3 whose pilitics are not clear. On top of the Conservative MPs there have also been 8 people who are former Conservative advisors, Conservative activists or people who have tried to become Conservative candidates – meaning that 8 of the 24 programmes – yes, a third – had a panel half of whose members were Conservative.
I agree wholeheartedly that we should be calling out, especially BBC’s bias against LibDem appearances. I cannot understand why our party is not making it a public issue requesting reviews, injunctions et cetera. The national party is far too timid on this issue.
Good that Lib Dem voices got an airing but as far as i can see no Lib Dem has spoken out on the dreadful Citizenship plans from Starmer. A lot of people are talking about it (here anyway) and I can only assume Lib Dems agree with the proposals. Sad verging on angry.
” On Trump, she pointed out the irony that he was saying that European defence was down to Europe, but then rode roughshod over Europe as regards Ukraine.”
I genuinely don’t understand this sentence. Trump, rightly or wrongly, is walking away from previous responsibilities as assumed by the US in Europe. Ukraine is part of Europe incidentally. So is the part of Russia where most of its citizens live.
So how can he be riding “roughshod over Europe” at the same time as he is walking away?
Suzanne – Why are you assuming we agree with these proposals? I don’t think we do.
@BigTallTim I don’t know whether “the party” agrees or disagrees as nobody has said anything. Given everyone is saying anything publicly I can only assume they agree. Same goes for the boarding of the aircraft of deportees.
I can hardly say to anyone that the Lib Dems are enraged can I. I am. but people do not support a party on just me.
Suzanne, I absolutely agree with you, and am shocked that I am not aware of a statement from our party condemning the new policy of people deemed to have entered illegally being forever prevented from citizenship. Today’s Guardian reports on a protest from a large number of Labour supporters. I am going to write to our Home Affairs spokesperson Lisa Smart to urge her to join the protests against this most illiberal policy, and would recommend others to do so as well.
I misread the title of this article as “Three senior moments for Lib Dems in the media”.
I’ll get my coat.
As for BBC Question Time, I despair. The amount of speaking time given to the clowns rather than the sensible panelists..ugh.